RUR2020an adaptation of Rossum's Universal Robots (R.U.R.)
by Cole Remmen RUR2020 is a new adaptation of Karel Capek’s Rossum’s Universal Robots, which was originally published in 1920. Capek’s prescient drama not only coined the word “robot,” but shaped the speculative being’s narrative scope and trajectory, anticipating anxieties of automated labor and living machines that are more pressing today than ever before. However, Capek’s play is also often overlooked in the dramatic canon and is seldom performed, in part to due to its dated references. My new adaptation addresses these issues, revitalizing the classic and foundational work of science fiction theater a full century later. However, RUR2020 also goes beyond mere update; it reimagines Capek’s satire as a dramatic memory play from the perspective of the robot Sulla, considering her story beyond her brief appearance in the original play. This new perspective addresses modern questions that have emerged as robots have begun to make the transition from fiction to reality: What is the nature of consciousness? What does it mean to be human when we create artificial beings that surpass us? How do we understand empathy in a world in which emotion can be simulated by machines? This new play speaks to these current anxieties, weighing the utopian and dystopian potentials of a technology that is now no longer mere speculation.
This new play revolves around the robot Sulla, who was formerly employed at RossumCorp, a manufacturer of synthetic living machines that revolutionized the global workforce in the mid-21st century. As the play progresses, we trace, through a series of flashbacks, the progression of a robot revolution brought about by unexpected issues in the development of enhanced nervous systems that allow the robots to experience pain. Outside these recollections, Sulla and the sole surviving human, Alquist, a former engineer for RossumCorp, attempt to use Sulla’s memory files to construct simulations that could potentially allow two experimental robots to achieve some semblance of emotional awareness. Along the way, Sulla and Alquist discover that Sulla herself has attained consciousness through her observation of the romantic relationship between her former employers, Domin (the manager of the robot factory) and Helena (an activist for robot rights), culminating in Sulla’s genuine expression of grief as Helena is killed as the robots overthrow their human oppressors. Ultimately, Sulla sacrifices herself in order to pass on her ability to love to the experimental androids, who suitably take the form of Domin and Helena, thereby ensuring that intelligent life does not die out. |